As a Canadian who has lived in the states for the last 13 years, I have noted many differences, and this post will only deal with my personal observations and experiences. This is choppy in an attempt to be brief. These events will sound negative, because in my mind they are. I feel these anecdotes shed light on the cultural differences.
Religion:
I have had Americans attempt to enlist myself and my family into their churches, somewhat aggressively and sometimes in an underhanded and sneaky way, like preaching to my young children when I am not around. . I never experienced this in Canada and this made me quite uncomfortable. Americans mention God and being blessed a lot, even in business settings, which I find completely inappropriate. They talk about church routinely. The Canadians I know tend to be more private about their faith or lack thereof and more respectful of diverse religious views. Some Americans love to tell you how Christian they are. They use bumper-stickers on their cars to advertise their religious and political beliefs. A group of students left my son's science class when evolution was being taught. A few neighbours said the Harry Potter books were evil ( but gave their son weapons as gifts). Because I am white, people here assume I am Christian without asking. I am agnostic, BTW. People have posted on FB that Obama should be a Christian. People have made comments that only Christians should be allowed to be president. Conclusion: The Americans i have encountered are more vocal about religion, and less respecting of divergent religious views.
Race Relations:
After 9/11, parents removed their children from the art program at the local public school, simply because a unit on Muslim art was being taught as part of an international art program. A neighbour, who has her children taught in a religious school, walked around our town during a parade with a "No Islam in Our Schools" sign. I attended school in Ottawa, and was lucky enough to develop strong friendships with Muslim kids. In university, I roomed with a Jewish girl and a Hindu girl. The area in which I currently live is overwhelmingly white. I have heard many racist comments here, even from a preschool teacher! I thought my neighbour was going to have a heart attack when I asked an African American man in Detroit for directions. The look of fear on her face was incredible. There are no blended neighbourhoods where I live. The real estate agent mentioned that as a plus when we were looking for homes. Yes, that shocked me! I love Toronto for its diversity! Yes, racism does exist in Canada, but I have witnessed so much more of it in the States. Conclusion: In my experience, Canadians respect cultural differences better than Americans.
Environment:
Neighbours here are finally catching on to recycling, whereas Canadian communities have been doing it for years. The schools here don't recycle much at all. We live off a dirt road and people dump tires, couches, mattresses, large furniture items, and even dogs along the road. You have to pay directly for waste pick up here, so people find it cheaper to dump. I didn't live off a dirt road in Canada, so i am not sure if dumping is a problem there. We have neighbours who laugh at the concept of global warming. It is a liberal conspiracy to them. Neighbours idle their cars for long times in winter, and school busses idle for over half an hour with students on board. Hunters leave empty liquor bottles, trash, and carcasses on the side of the road. Highways are heavily littered here compared to Canada. Conclusion: My Canadian friends and family are much more motivated to act to protect the environment.
Violence and Safety:
At a gathering of 15 neighbouhood women, almost all knew a murder victim. One had two murders in her extended family, one knew a high-school student who was raped and murdered, another knew of a home invasion and attempted murder.... I only have 1 Cdn friend who knew a murder victim. We back onto forrest. Another body was discovered a few miles from my house last week. One was discovered a half mile away last year. Both those were suicides with firearms. Bodies have turned up in lakes near my house, and this is considered a safe area. And our town is tiny! A teenage boy drove his car into a tree to kill himself a mile down the road a few years ago. Police officers have been shot in our town. There have been murder suicides with a few miles of my house... Many neighbours own guns. A friend of a friend lost a child to gun play. I do not recall this level of violence while I lived in Canada. Conclusion: In my experience, Canadians are less violent.
Health care:
I have had good and terrible health care here. Generally good, though. My health care experiences in Canada have also been good. My mother, who recently had heart surgery, can no longer visit me in the states because she cannot afford the cost of temporary health insurance to cover American procedures if something goes wrong. The rates are so much higher here. I have seen many jars in stores for collecting for those who need medical attention here. A woman down the street has had health issues to the point that her husband will have to retire 5 years later than planned to cover her insurance costs. Another neighbour's relative has been forced to sell his cottage to cover health care costs in his retirement years. I have never heard of Canadians having to change their financial future because of overwhelming health care costs. One of my coworkers has had a heart defect since she was a baby and now she is having a terrible time obtaining health insurance. Conclusion: Perhaps Americans are less generous when dealing with the needy, in a health care sense.
Other minor observations include: Americans don't return their shopping carts to the pen as often as Canadians do.
Canadians i have encountered in service industries tend to be friendlier than their american counterparts. Canadians i know tend to have greater knowledge about other countries. Americans I know tend to have odd ideas about other countries, such as assuming Germany is dangerous, or Canada is cold in the summer... American women tend to wear more make up. Many Americans are vocally patriotic and shocked to hear that I would rather live in Canada.
Okay, so why do I still stay here? The husband.... He likes his salary too much. I would move back to Canada in a heartbeat. I plan on retiring there!
